Honan-Allston Branch Library
Machado Silvetti, 2001

The Honan-Allston Branch Library is one of the 25 branches of the Boston Public Library. Among its distinguishing features are several gardens which frame reading rooms inside the Library. The exterior materials create a warm palette with slate shingles and panels, rough slate blocks, and wood cladding.

Machado Silvetti is a Boston-based architecture and urban design firm recognized for creating, revitalizing, and expanding distinctive buildings and spaces in the United States and around the world. Founding partners Rodolfo Machado and Jorge Silvetti began working together in 1974, before establishing the firm in 1985. They are among a significant number of Argentinean émigré architects, who have exerted a profound influence upon the discipline and experimental practices of architecture in the United States. The firm has won multiple awards for its designs including the Progressive Architecture award, Boston Society of Architects award, the Topaz Medallion, Rome Prize, and the first award in architecture by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Currently the Nelson Robinson Jr. Research Professor of Architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Jorge Silvetti has also been a prominent voice in the LGBTQ+ community. As Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month comes to an end, we celebrate the accomplishments of all those who identify as LGBTQ+. 

Home in a Vibrant Community
Sunday, June 26, 1:00 - 6:00 p.m.

Two of the public art installations will be on view at the Library on Sunday. The Library will be open extended hours (1-6 p.m.) for this event.
In this workshop, children will explore marine life by creating shadow puppets. For children ages 6 and up, limited to 15. Please register your child by calling 860-542-5075 ext. 2. After hours, please leave a voice mail.

Mindfulness with Miranda Lee
Fridays, beginning July 8, 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.

Mindfulness can be defined as “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.” In this 4-week course, mindfulness practitioner Miranda Lee will teach participants how to live a more mindful life and equip them with the tools they need to help build resilience against the challenges of day-to-day life. Some gentle movement (no special clothing or equipment required) will be incorporated into the course. This course will be offered free of charge from 9:00-10:00 a.m. on Fridays from July 8 to July 29 before the Library opens to the public. Please register here.

Miranda Lee received training from Mindful Schools, a non-profit organization that trains educators to bring mindfulness into schools and community spaces. Although mindfulness is an ancient practice coming from Eastern contemplative traditions, Miranda offers a secular and inclusive approach.

Kehinde Wiley, "Equestrian Portrait of the Count Duke Olivares," 2005. Courtesy Rubell Museum, Miami.

Have you checked out our Museum Passes?
This summer would be a great time to go to the New Britain Museum of American Art to see the exhibition "30 Americans," which opened last week. The library pass offers free admission for up to 4 people (select Member when purchasing tickets).

Drawn from the acclaimed Rubell Museum in Miami, Florida, "30 Americans" showcases works by some of the most significant artists of the last four decades, including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Mickalene Thomas, Kara Walker, Hank Willis Thomas, and Kehinde Wiley. This groundbreaking exhibition tells the story of Black humanity through the gaze of contemporary Black artists. Dating from the 1970s to the 2000s, the extensive group of paintings, drawings, collages, photography, portraiture, sculptures, installations, and performance artwork addresses over 200 years of American history and considers the powerful influence of artistic legacy and community across generations. The exhibition invites us to confront the complexities of individual and collective self-making; explore the transformative paths of self-determination and self-healing; reclaim dignity and liberation of the Black body and Black sexuality; and reframe the past, present, and future of African-descended people through wonder and imagination.

Art historian and Norfolk resident Robert Hobbs is the author of "Looking B[l]ack: Reflections of White Racism," an essay in the exhibition catalog that historicized African-American art. The book is available at the Library.